Process for emulsion graft polymerization and products thereof

Abstract

A process for emulsion graft polymerization of a polymeric substrate, which comprises a step of activating a polymeric substrate, and a step of contacting the activated polymeric substrate with an emulsion comprising a surfactant, water, and reactive monomers, thereby graft polymerizing the reactive monomers to the polymeric substrate, and products polymerized by the process, where the surfactant is selected from the group consisting of an anionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, an amphoric surfactant, a non-ionic surfactant and a mixture thereof, and the polymeric substrate is in the form of woven fabrics, non-woven fabrics, films, hollow filamentary films, flat films or threads, made from polyolefinic fibers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, etc., or natural polymeric fibers such as chitin, chitosan, cellulose, starch, etc.

1 . A process for emulsion graft polymerization of a polymeric substrate, which comprises a step of activating a polymeric substrate, and a step of contacting the activated polymeric substrate with an emulsion comprising a surfactant, water, and reactive monomers, thereby graft polymerizing the reactive monomers to the polymeric substrate.  
   
   
       2 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the surfactant is selected from the group consisting of an anionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, an amphoric surfactant, a non-ionic surfactant and a mixture thereof.  
   
   
       3 . A process according to  claim 1 , wherein the polymeric substrate is in the form of woven fabrics, non-woven fabrics, films, hollow filamentary films, flat films or threads, made from polyolefinic fibers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, etc., or natural polymeric fibers such as chitin, chitosan, cellulose, starch, etc.  
   
   
       4 . A process for producing a metal ion adsorbent, which comprises a step of activating a polymeric substrate, and a step of contacting the activated polymeric substrate with an emulsion comprising a surfactant, water, and reactive monomers having specifically working functional groups, thereby graft polymerizing the reactive monomers having the specifically working functional groups to the polymeric substrate.  
   
   
       5 . A process for producing a metal ion adsorbent, which comprises a step of activating a polymeric substrate, and a step of contacting the activated polymeric substrate with an emulsion comprising a surfactant, water, and reactive monomers, thereby graft polymerizing the reactive monomers to the polymeric substrate, and a step of introducing specifically working functional groups to graft chains of the reactive monomers formed by the graft polymerization.  
   
   
       6 . A metal ion adsorbent, produced by a process according to  claim 4 , and reusable by washing the adsorbed metal ions off the adsorbent by an appropriate eluent.  
   
   
       7 . A process for recovering metal ion by adsorption, which comprises a step of passing a metal ion-containing medium through a metal ion adsorbent produced according to  claim 4 .  
   
   
       8 . A process according to  claim 2  wherein the polymeric substrate is in the form of woven fabrics, non-woven fabrics, films, hollow filamentary films, flat films, or threads, made from polyolefinic fibers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, etc., or natural polymeric fibers such as chitin, chitosan, cellulose, starch, etc.  
   
   
       9 . A metal ion adsorbent, produced by a process according to  claim 5 , and reusable by washing the adsorbed metal ions off the adsorbent by an appropriate eluent.  
   
   
       10 . A process for recovering metal ion by adsorption, which comprises a step of passing a metal ion-containing medium through a metal ion adsorbent produced according to  claim 5.